STREISAND JOINS THE STONES AND SINATRA With her new CD, "Cover Me," entering the Billboard Top 200 album chart at No. 7 (it sold 45,000 copies its first week out), 70-year-old Barbra Streisand now has more Top 10 albums on that chart (32) than anyone except The Rolling Stones (36) and Frank Sinatra (36). She got off to a good start, seeing her first eight LPs, from 1963-1966, hit the Top 10. She has nine No. 1 albums.

Streisand plays the Hollywood Bowl Nov. 9 and 11.

JAMES TAYLOR TO RECORD FIRST ALBUM IN DECADE James Taylor is taking 2013 off from concert appearances in order to devote the year to recording his first album of new material in ten years, according to the Berkshire Eagle. He said he'll record the album at his home studio in Washington, Mass. He added that this decision may cause him to miss his traditional appearance at the Tanglewood Music Festival in nearby Lenox in the western part of the state. His last album of his own compositions, "October Road," hit No. 4 in 2002 and was certified as a platinum record.

NEIL DIAMOND HONORED Neil Diamond, who sang "Sweet Caroline" with honoree George Clooney at the Carousel of Hope Ball in L.A., according to the Hollywood Reporter, will himself be honored at the 2012 Billboard Touring Awards, Nov. 8 at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City. Diamond, 71, will receive the 2012 Legend of Live award that will recognize him for his contributions to the world of live entertainment. In the past year, Diamond, who has sold in the ballpark of 150 million records, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, received a star on the Hollywood walk of Fame and has been feted at the Kennedy Center Honors.

MANILOW BACK TO BROADWAY In 1988, a party guest went up to Barry Manilow, hugged him and said, "Don't stop what you're doing, man. We're all inspired by you." That man was Bob Dylan.

The Brooklyn-born man who writes the songs is heading back to the Great White Way with "Manilow on Broadway," for 17 performances from Jan. 18 - Feb. 9 at the St. James Theatre, reports the New York Daily News.

It's been more than 20 years, since 1989, since he performed on Broadway. His first Broadway run was in 1976-1977.

Before his Broadway gigs, Manilow, who lives in Palm Springs, will perform a five-night run titled "A Gift of Love II" at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert, on Dec. 11-12 and 14-16 that will benefit various area charities.

Prior to this engagement, he'll be at the Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield on Dec. 7.

GARFUNKEL HAS HIT ALBUM IN U.K. Art Garfunkel's new handpicked "best of" 2-CD compilation, "The Singer" is at No. 10 on the British Album chart. It's his first Top 10 album in the U.K. in 33 years, since "Fate For Breakfast" hit No. 2 in 1979, reports Billboard. The 70-year-old singer was recently forced to cancel all his scheduled concerts through the end of the year as his ongoing vocal chord problems persist.

EX-TULL LEADER IAN ANDERSON'S TOUR After 45 years, Scottish flute and guitar-playing singer-songwriter Ian Anderson broke up his band, Jethro Tull. He is currently touring America celebrating the 40 th anniversary of his and Tull's epic progressive rock album, "Thick as a Brick," the 45-minute, album-long song that contains many movements. That just comprises the first half of this tour's show.

Several months ago, he and his crack solo band recorded a sequel to "TAAB," simply titled, "Thick as a Brick 2." Like the original, this album is also a song-long album containing many movements. So it's natural that Anderson presents this new work during the second half of these concerts. The packaging is actually inspired and, at his recent show at the Terrace Theatre in Long Beach, it fit seamlessly.

Anderson has performed shorter abbreviated versions of "TAAB" at virtually every Tull show the band has played these past four decades, most of which was all from side one of the album. So for Tull fans it was a treat hearing him deliver side two. And because the new "TAAB 2" includes brief interludes from the original, it all flowed beautifully. In addition, the new CD features familiar Tull-ish classical prog-rock runs throughout that are reminiscent of music from "War Child" (1975), "A" (1980) and especially the under-heard and under-appreciated "J-Tull Dot Com" album from 1999.

Anderson permanently damaged his voice in 1984. His singing has been marginal at best, wince-inducing at its worst. The Long Beach concert provided moments of both. However, after 28 years, Anderson has finally come to terms with this problem. He is utilizing a younger singer with the ideal background in rock music, theatre and circus. Englishman Ryan O'Donnell, 30, is a compliment to Anderson; a man who sings in his key, can ape his trademark moves and who possesses a voice that is not so strong that it will show up his boss. He and Anderson traded vocals back and forth throughout.

After years of shows that have increasingly frustrated fans because of Anderson's vocal problems, as well as Anderson's insistence on playing many of the same songs year in and year out, the brilliant 65-year-old has rediscovered the magic and presented a show that is a triumph; one that, at least in Long Beach, resulted in a justifiably rapturous response from his audience.

Anderson gave his fans one classic warhorse for his encore, an extended "Locomotive Breath," from Tull's biggest-selling album, 1971's "Aqualung."

ROLLING STONES U.K. SHOWS SELL OUT, UH, FAST More than 30,000 tickets for the first two concerts by The Rolling Stones in London in five years sold out in seven minutes. Rolling Stone magazine says multiple sources verified this. The show will be held Nov. 25 and 29 at the O2 Arena. The website handling online tickets, viagogo, received more than one million requests, enough to sell out more than 70 shows at the O2 Arena.

Guitarist Ron Wood told NME that the band will play small, intimate warm-up gigs prior to the London and New Jersey shows, quite possibly in Paris, and possibly under an alias they've used before, The Cockroaches.

Keith Richards said the band was blown away at the reception they received from hundreds of fans at the premiere of their new 50-year documentary retrospective, "Crossfire Hurricane" at the London Film Festival in Leicester Square. Richards, who called the fans' welcome "overwhelming," added, "I did not expect Leicester Square to be going bananas-It was heartwarming to say the least."

GARTH BROOKS INDUCTED INTO COUNTRY HALL George Strait, Bob Seger and James Taylor performed musical tributes to Garth Brooks when he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, reports NBC News. Singer Connie Smith was inducted by Merle Haggard and Lee Ann Womack was among those performing Smith's hits.

NEW RELEASES Among the recently released albums, digital reissues and deluxe box sets are "Viva Duets," 86-years-young Tony Bennett, whose first LP came out 60 years ago in 1952, and covers a dozen standards with such Latin stars as Gloria Estefan, Marc Anthony, Christina Aguilera and 72-year-old Ranchera icon Vicente Fernandez; a CD/DVD from former Genesis singer Peter Gabriel, "So 25 th Anniversary Immersion Box);" and a 2-CD, "Genesis Revisited II," from former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett, a sequel to his 1996 CD that saw him reinterpret songs he and his old band recorded. This time, he re-records early Genesis fan faves such as "The Musical Box," "Return of the Giant Hogweed," "Dancing With The Moonlit Knight" and "Supper's Ready."

The Doors' "Live At The Bowl 68" even includes the psychedelic experiment, "Horse Latitudes" and wraps with the drama of the poignant anti-Vietnam War ode, "The Unknown Soldier," and of course, "The End;" a CD/DVD from Jack Blades and his band Night Ranger, "24 Strings & A Drummer - Live & Acoustic," celebrates the 30 th anniversary of the release of the group's debut album; "The Calling," is the first solo album in seven years from former Santana guitarist and current Journey leader Neal Schon and features synth wiz Jan Hammer on two tracks; and a 2-CD/DVD/Blu Ray set, "Vol. 2-World Is Ours: Anyplace Crazy as Anywhere Else" from Lemmy Kilmister and the heavy metal rock band he formed in London in 1975, Motorhead.

Holiday albums include "Christmas Spirit," Richard Marx's first CD in four years and includes a duet with Kenny Loggins on "Let There Be Peace On Earth" and the title song that he wrote with the leader of The Tubes, Fee Waybill; and a bargain-priced 34-song 2-CD, "Chicago XXXIII: O Christmas Tree," also confusingly titled, "Ultimate Christmas Collection," features the jazz pop-rockers joined by Dolly Parton, gospel singer BeBe Winans, America and former Booker T. & The MGs and Blues Brothers guitarist Steve Cropper and "A Sammy Klaus Christmas" from country singer-guitarist Sammy Kershaw.

NOW PLAYING Classic acts from the '50 s, '60 s and '70 s continue to perform. Here's what one of them is doing.

In 1966, Scottish folk-pop-rock troubadour Donovan put his cred on the line big time when he bravely predicted, "Electrical banana is gonna be a sudden craze. Electrical banana is gonna be the very next phase." Well, so much for Mr. Leitch joining the ranks of Elijah, Nostradamus and Sydney Omar among history's best-known prophets.

His prediction flopped, but the song that contained those lyrics, "Mellow Yellow," became a smash, hitting No. 2 here and No. 8 in the U.K., and today is an all-time classic. At his Royal Albert Hall show in June 2011 he was joined by the guitarist who played on "Mellow Yellow," Jimmy Page.

Back in the day, i.e., the hippy-dippy trippy love and Flower Power heavy, hip and happening '60 s, Donovan was one of the hippest, coolest and most mysterious and mystical of that generation's leaders. He was a musical, political and fashion trendsetter.

A close longtime pal of The Beatles, he was among the rest of hip, swinging London pop and rock royalty who sat at their feet when "All You Need Is Love" live for the "Our World" worldwide TV was broadcast before an estimated 400 million viewers. Donovan also journeyed with The Beatles to the Maharishi's spiritual retreat India in May 1968.

In an interview I did with him years ago, he divulged to me for what he said was the first time he'd ever told anyone that he contributed lyrics to The Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" in 1966. He said that he was recording "Mellow Yellow" at London's Abbey Road Studios, upstairs in a studio above what is called the Big Room, Studio 2, home to The Beatles.

One night around May 26, 1966, Donovan took a break and popped on down to the Big Room to say hello and grab a cup of tea with his Beatle buddies.

Paul McCartney told him that he was stumped on some of the lyrics for the song they were working on, "Yellow Submarine." Donovan looked at the lyrics and said to him, "How about this, 'Sky of blue and sea of green." Paul loved it and included the line.

To show his thanks, later that night Paul sojourned up to Donovan's studio where he added all the whoops, hollers and yells that at the conclusion of "Mellow Yellow" gives the song its big happy upbeat party ending.

Donovan is at home in the worlds of folk, pop, rock, jazz, blue-eyed soul and psychedelia and wrote and recorded hits from each musical genre.

They included the pure folk of the Dylan-esque ballad, "Catch the Wind," the pop of "Wear Your Love Like Heaven," the soft upbeat jazz of "There is a Mountain," the blue-eyed soul of "Sunshine Superman" and the propulsive Baroque Paisley psychedelia of the strings and harpsichord-infused "Epistle to Dippy," as well as hippy hits like "Jennifer Juniper," "Happiness Run," "Season of the Witch," "Lalena," "Barabajagal" (recorded with "Atlantis," and his final hits from the early '70 s, "Riki Tiki Tavi" and "Cosmic Wheels."

His duet on the title song of Alice Cooper's 1973 hit, "Billion Dollar Babies," was also a hit and the song continues to garner airplay on classic rock stations.

Now 66, Donovan, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April, continues to perform and record every now and then. His last album, "Ritual Groove," was released in 2010. He's got one final concert of 2012 set for Oct. 28 at the El Rey Theatre in L.A., with the promise of a big world tour next year, according to his website.